WHEREAS, Arts education, which includes dance, literature, music, theatre, and visual arts, is an essential part of the basic education necessary to provide balanced learning for all pupils in kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive; and

WHEREAS, Arts education is necessary to develop the full potential of pupils’ minds; and

WHEREAS, Arts educators recognize that a program of arts education is defined as a comprehensive, balanced, sequential, in-school program of instruction in the arts, taught by qualified teachers, designed to provide pupils of all ages with skills and knowledge in the arts in accordance with high national, state, and local standards; and

WHEREAS, The adoption of arts education standards to guide the development and implementation of arts instruction and activities, facilitates a well-planned arts education program and enhances a pupil’s opportunity to develop his or her initiative, creative ability, self-expression, self-evaluation, thinking skills, discipline, appreciation of beauty, and cross-cultural understanding; and

WHEREAS, National standards have been adopted for the visual and performing arts; and

WHEREAS, For 20 years the State of California has recognized the adopted visual and performing arts framework as the definition of arts education; and

WHEREAS, The State of California has adopted state standards for the visual and performing arts; and

WHEREAS, The arts education associations of the California Dance Educators Association, the California Music Educators Association, the California Educational Theatre Association, the California Arts Education Association, and the California Humanities Association each contribute to the betterment of arts education together and each in their own subject area; now, therefore, be it